#Styrian Comfort

[ghouldtime]

Hello again! Since you said that you HC König to be Styrian, do you think he'd be the kind of person to sometimes speak his dialect with reader to tease them a little? The dialect is kinda hard to understand for people, who only speak High German (the German you find in texts and the one you're taught at school and stuff). Because I speak with a dialect as well and I'd love nothing more than to banter with König in our Austrian dialect together! Of course, there's a thousand dialects in Austria! So, someone from Styria has a hard time understanding someone from Vorarlberg, but still! (Also, because I HC him from the southern part of Styria, I like to imagine he "barks" a little when he speaks! It's gotten better as he grew up, but when he gets drunk he still barks, which makes it harder to understand him! It's really hard to understand some people from southern Styria >.< Are we allowed to share our own HCs with you? I just thought it'd make sense since I am Austrian! Not trying to sound entitled or anything, of course! But I just love giving him HCs of things I'm familiar with :>)

Anyway, sorry for the long ask! Have a nice day! ^^

💚💚💚💚💚 HELLLLOO it's great to see you back again :D I hope you're doing well! Also prefacing this with I'm an American so I'm admittedly not the most well versed in everything Austrian! I do put in my research and know some but I haven't even been there so if I'm ever wrong, absolutely feel free to correct me (I try my best not to be totally ignorant)

To answer your question simply in one word: ABSOLUTELY. Caps, bold, and all.

Naturally, his default IS his dialect. That's what he grew up speaking, that's what he learned, that's what sounds the most correct to him. Yes, it's not the standard, but it's HIS standard.

If reader doesn't know his dialect or if he's going out of his way to be a bit of a little shit, he'll be teasing about it - he's got a sense of humor (as unconventional as it might be). Assuming reader is learning German, he of course will still be helpful with teaching! He'll speak the "textbook" standard, but he's still slipping his dialect in, especially if they're catching onto what he's saying and he wants to make a sly comment.

What did he just say? Oh, nothing, you'll figure it out :) .... eventually, in due time.... and maybe a few post it notes in your text books there...

If they already know German, he'll pretty much insist on his dialect and will maybe speak a bit slower if you're lucky. But he'll talk so much if he likes you, you'll catch on - sooner or later (all apart of his masterplan). He's far more comfortable speaking German so he naturally adopts a faster talking pace too to match

Side note Dialects are SO interesting. One of my pals is Norwegian and he'd look me dead in the eyes and switch to another dialect whenever I understood him. Frustrating, actually pretty hilarious, and gives me MORE incentive to learn and to try and figure it out. How a single language can vary so differently from place to place in the same country is very interesting to see and hear alike

(Also you're absolutely welcome to share head cannons with me anytime!! 💚💚💚 I love hearing them and I love seeing that people can relate and have their own experiences to add. It really adds depth when we know we're never getting more than the bare minimum and it's not entitled at all its so nice to hear these little details)

I'm absolutely on board with that head cannon and support it FULLY in every sense of the word. That's 110% HIM. Since he wasn't much of a talker as a kid too I think it certainly was much more pronounced for that reason before it lessened as he grew up, and especially had more exposure to his peers.

I adore niche head cannons like this, it's my bread and butter. Because you KNOW we'd not get that level of love and attention to detail with or from the game alone and it's just adding that extra pizzazz, that extra depth that he deserves

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 If you don't mind, I'll adopt that for him because it's so perfect??? It's so him I just love the idea so so so much

[duckprintspress]

Let’s Get Spoopy! 6 Queer Gothic Books for Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone! We did a queer horror-themed rec list in August to celebrate Frankenstein Day, so we thought we’d try something a little different: queer gothic stories! Here are our six recommendations for queer gothic works. Five Duck Prints Press folks contributed recommendations to this list.

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

In a lonely castle deep in the Styrian forest, Laura leads a solitary life with only her elderly father for company – until a moonlit night brings an unexpected guest to the schloss. At first Laura is glad to finally have a female companion of her own age, but her new friend’s strange habits and eerie nocturnal wanderings quickly become unsettling, and soon a ghastly truth is revealed.

What Manner of Man by St. John Starling

This is What Manner of Man, a queer vampire romance novel about an innocent priest sent to a remote island to exorcise the demons that are allegedly tormenting the villagers — but what happens when the priest begins to suspect his host, the mysterious, nocturnal lord of the local manor, may have invited him another reason entirely? And what happens when the supposedly celibate priest finds he cannot resist his host’s powerful charms?

Unspeakable: A Queer Gothic Anthology

Unspeakable contains eighteen Gothic tales with uncanny twists and characters that creep under your skin. Its stories feature sapphic ghosts, terrifying creatures of the sea, and haunted houses concealing their own secrets. Whether you’re looking for your non-binary knight in shining armour or a poly family to murder with, Unspeakable showcases the best contemporary Gothic queer short fiction.

Even dark tales deserve their time in the sun.

A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things. Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband’s dark secrets.

With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

There is a Wild Man who lives in the deep quiet of Greenhollow, and he listens to the wood. Tobias, tethered to the forest, does not dwell on his past life, but he lives a perfectly unremarkable existence with his cottage, his cat, and his dryads.

When Greenhollow Hall acquires a handsome, intensely curious new owner in Henry Silver, everything changes. Old secrets better left buried are dug up, and Tobias is forced to reckon with his troubled past, both the green magic of the woods and the dark things that rest in its heart.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde’s most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.

TELL US MORE QUEER GOTHIC BOOKS!

These books have been added to our queer horror shelf on Goodreads and our affiliate recommendation list on Bookshop.org!

[alpaca-clouds]

Bloodthirsty [Noctober Day 29 - Morana & Carmilla]

Today I have another story from the backstory of the Styrian sisters. Morana more or less becoming the step-sire for Carmilla.

Bloodthirsty

Fandom: Castlevania (Netflix) Relationship: Morana & Carmilla Genre: Hurt/Comfort

1070. Morana has taken Carmilla out on a hunt, only to witness first hand how little self-control the young vampire has.

[autumnmobile12]

Let’s talk about the tragedy of Lenore’s death.

Like Carmilla, Lenore portrayed her suicide as an act of defiance, and like Carmilla, it is not.  (I’ve already covered Carmilla’s death in a previous post, so I won’t go into it here.)  Lenore says she refuses to be kept in a cage, but there is a curious lack of effort in attempting to escape.  We already know she’s not a helpless character, so why doesn’t she?

Also, while it is implied she is not allowed to leave the Styrian castle, Isaac and Hector are not keeping her locked up in the cells.  She has no physical restraint and since the series does not point out any specific magic keeping her in place, like the blood ring Hector was landed with, we can assume there is nothing like that going on.  She is not ill-treated and she is not denied the comfortable lifestyle she is used to.  She’s still drinking wine while dressed like a princess.  This is less imprisonment and more glorified house arrest and while that might be humiliating, she is not suffering physically.

I believe if she truly wanted to get away, she could have.  If we want to make the argument Isaac could have stopped/killed her, it seems likely Hector wouldn’t let him.  Even if she wasn’t in a hurry to escape, she is immortal.  Isaac and Hector are going to age and die off eventually.  In the most extreme case, she could just roll her eyes and say,  “All right, I’ll humor you by staying put,” and then heading on her merry way once that was over.  Eighty years tops is a drop in bucket for a vampire.

So the reason why she doesn’t just escape or wait out her imprisonment?

I think we’re looking at a cocktail mix grief and hopelessness.

We already see in the beginning of Season 4 that she’s no longer an essential component to the vampiress quartet.  She’s even in self-denial about it, saying Carmilla’s plan buys them security and that it’s necessary.  This aligns with what the four sisters ultimately want and what they have gone through in the past.

Dividing the four in half, we have Carmilla and Morana as the aggressors and Striga and Lenore as the passive ones.

Striga comments in Season 3 that she cannot forget the past.  Carmilla’s plan to conquer the Balkans worries her.  It’s a risk she’s wary of taking because defeat would mean losing her safe place in the world, or worse, losing Morana.  It is Morana who urges her to consider the plan, to really apply herself to the idea that if they can pull this off, they will create an even stronger, more secure world for themselves.

By the end of her arc, Carmilla’s paranoia reaches a fever pitch.  First she wanted to conquer the Balkans, then without really considering the opinions of the other three, her ambition grows to conquer the world.  This is her true nature, her need to manipulate and control everything around her so that nothing can hurt her.

And the sad thing is, that’s all these four wanted: a place where they felt safe.  They had Styria, but Styria had been threatened in the past.  They gambled high stakes and they lost almost everything.

Lenore watched Carmilla’s downward slide, and once the fighting was done, from her point of view, Striga and Morana never came back for her.  We don’t know exactly how long the four sisters were together, but it’s clear that these were people she truly loved and trusted, and the abandonment she felt hurt.

In Lenore’s mind, she doesn’t have much left.  Carmilla’s gone.  She feels as though Hector betrayed her by allowing Isaac to kill Carmilla.  Even if she does escape and reunite with Striga and Morana, she’s still going to be their third wheel.  With nowhere else to go and no real ambition to start over, she just gave up and that is an incredibly tragic end to an otherwise brilliant character.

[madscientist008]

F1 live stream: Watch the Austrian Grand Prix weekend with F1 TV Pro!

Are you ready for some high-octane racing action from the Red Bull Ring? The Austrian Grand Prix is the ninth round of the 2023 Formula 1 season, and it promises to be a thrilling spectacle for fans around the world. Whether you’re rooting for Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel or any of the other drivers on the grid, you don’t want to miss a single moment of this exciting event.

But how can you watch the Austrian Grand Prix live and in HD quality? The answer is simple: F1 TV Pro!

What is F1 TV Pro?

F1 TV Pro is the ultimate streaming service for Formula 1 fans. It gives you access to every session of every race weekend, live and on demand, with no ad breaks and no interruptions. You can watch from any device, including web, apps, Apple Airplay and Chromecast, Apple TV, Google TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku.

But that’s not all. F1 TV Pro also lets you customize your viewing experience with exclusive features like:

Onboard cameras on all 20 drivers’ cars, so you can see the action from their perspective

Live data and telemetry, so you can analyze the performance of each driver and team

Live timing and leaderboards, so you can keep track of the positions and gaps

Live radio communications, so you can hear what the drivers and teams are saying

Commentary in six languages, so you can choose your preferred voice

Pre-race and post-race shows, so you can get expert analysis and insights from former drivers and pundits

How to watch the Austrian Grand Prix on F1 TV Pro?

To watch the Austrian Grand Prix on F1 TV Pro, all you need is a subscription and a compatible device. You can subscribe to F1 TV Pro for a monthly or annual fee, depending on your preference. The price varies depending on your location, but you can check the available plans and offers here.

Once you have subscribed, you can log in to F1 TV Pro and start streaming the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. Here’s the schedule for each session (all times are local):

Friday, July 2: Practice 1 at 11:30 a.m., Practice 2 at 3 p.m.

Saturday, July 3: Practice 3 at 12 p.m., Qualifying at 3 p.m.

Sunday, July 4: Race at 3 p.m.

You can also watch replays and highlights of each session on demand anytime after they finish.

What to expect from the Austrian Grand Prix?

The Austrian Grand Prix is one of the most scenic and challenging races on the calendar. The Red Bull Ring is a short but fast circuit, with only 10 corners and four long straights. The track is located in the Styrian Alps, which means it has a lot of elevation changes and unpredictable weather conditions.

The race is also a home event for Red Bull Racing, who have dominated the season so far with eight wins out of eight races. Max Verstappen leads the drivers’ championship by a comfortable margin over his teammate Sergio Perez, who has won two races this year. The Dutch star has also won the Austrian Grand Prix three times before, in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

However, Red Bull will not have an easy ride in Austria. Their rivals Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Alpine will be eager to challenge them and end their winning streak. Mercedes have won four times in Austria since 2014, with Lewis Hamilton taking three victories and Valtteri Bottas one. Aston Martin have shown strong pace in recent races, with Sebastian Vettel finishing second in Baku and fourth in Monaco. Ferrari have also improved their performance this year, with Charles Leclerc taking two pole positions and Carlos Sainz scoring two podiums5. Alpine have also scored points in every race so far, with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon showing consistent form.

The Austrian Grand Prix will also feature the second Sprint weekend of the season, which means that qualifying will take place on Friday instead of Saturday, and a short sprint race will determine the grid for Sunday’s main race. This adds an extra element of excitement and unpredictability to the weekend.

So don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to watch the Austrian Grand Prix live with F1 TV Pro! Subscribe now and enjoy the best Formula 1 coverage available!

[alpaca-clouds]

The Old God [Hector-centric Hurt/Comfort]

This is a story I have been thinking about for a while. And as I feared it will not be done as a one shot (as I fear this will end being between 10-12k). Because I wanted to have a Hector story on today... Have at it.

Note: This will include some religious discussion, though not in the first chapter.

The Old God

Fandom: Castlevania (Netflix) Genre: Hurt/Comfort

While exploring the mountains surrounding the Styrian castle, Hector meets a vagabond camping in a cave. Before he knows it, the stranger starts talking to him...